


A sunflower cried

by Seditious46



Category: Nogizaka46 (Band)
Genre: F/F, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-09-02 04:48:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20270245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seditious46/pseuds/Seditious46
Summary: In a dystopian Osaka, Hina is trying to find out the secrets of her past while trying to stay out of the hands of the government. However, it is the vague memory of a woman's name that truly sparked her determination to search for the truth.***This is the sequel to "Desire's Reincarnation". It is not necessary to read that story to understand this one, but I would of course appreciate it if you did. :)Comments and tips to improve this story are appreciated, but above all, I hope you enjoy reading it!





	1. A night better forgotten

**October 15th, 2024**

Her hands shook as she pressed the muzzle against the forehead of the man that was crying and pleading before her. He sat on his knees, with his hands behind his back. Although it wasn't her favorite method of finding what she was looking for, she had only herself to blame. If she just stayed calm, she might have heard the guard approach and she would be perfectly fine hiding for a while. But she was too restless to notice, and all of a sudden, the man stood behind her.

"Quiet", she hissed at him. She didn't want his sobs to alarm others. Her finger trembled, occasionally touching the trigger of her handgun slightly.

"I have a wife... and a daughter. Please. I just want to go home tonight."

She didn't want to pull the trigger. Not at all. She once heard someone say that killing gets easier after the first murder, but she didn't agree and only hoped he would cooperate, without doing anything stupid. Otherwise, there was no other option than to take his life.

"If you ever want to see them again, tell me where I can access the Lazarus archive."

The archive should be accessible somewhere in the building, which she entered through the roof ten minutes ago. She had no idea where to start though, so she decided to start looking in the very first room she came across. The computer on the desk didn't provide anything, and neither did any of the files in the cabinet. Maybe, just maybe, it was a good thing the guard before her was fearing for his life.

"I..It's in the basement. You need to take the elevator all the way down."

"I have no doubt it's secured. How do I get in?"

"Take my access card. It's in my back pocket."

"I will, thank you", she said and whacked his head with the grip of her gun. He fell face forward to the floor. She softly kicked him in the side to confirm is he was as unconscious as she hoped he would be, and grabbed the card from this pocket, after which she left the office and locked the door.

There was hardly any light in the building at this hour. In the hallway, there were lights on the wall every 10 meter, that emitted a soft blue light. It was enough to see the surroundings. The full moon and its light contributed a bit of lucidity as well, which enabled her to quickly find the elevator. On the way down, she tucked her gun behind her back again. If this building was any like the others she sneaked in to, the chances of running into another guard were slim.

The elevator reduced it speed and came to a stop. "Please identify yourself", a woman's voice sounded her from the intercom, and a scanner near the door lit up. She held the access card against it. As expected, a green light flashed and the doors slid open. "Welcome, Mister Koda", the voice greeted. It didn't really sound welcoming though.

The hi-tech machinery in this basement was a bit overwhelming for those not familiar with the latest computer technology. Multiple mainframes were connected to each others, and the walls were adorned with flashy screens that showed a logo, bouncing across the screen. She put her right foot into the room and looked around carefully. There was no living person to be seen. She did notice the security cameras though. They must have spotted her already, which meant she had to hurry.

She quickened her pace and headed for the nearest mainframe. She kicked the chair aside and grabbed a flash drive from her pocket. Her trembling hands caused the little device to drop on the floor. "Fuck", she said in a somewhat raised voice and examined the drive, but to her relief there wasn't a scratch to be found.

As soon as she connected the drive to the mainframe, the screen lit up and presented a window that asked for a password. "And that's why I came prepared", she said to herself softly. She looked at her hands and up to the screen, to enter the characters she scribbled on her hand with a marker two hours earlier and tapped the button that said "CONFIRM".

"Access denied."

"What the..."

A second attempt yielded the same outcome. She felt the heat flaring up inside her as time progressed while she stared at the characters on her hand to see if she made a mistake. Did she switch an o for a zero? Maybe the 9 for a g?

"All right, one more time, no types this time. You can do it."

"Access denied."

"Damn you Kaz", she groaned. There was no time for alternative approach, so she quickly unplugged the drive, ran to the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor.

Once she stepped out of the elevator, she heard the faint voices of two men talking to each other. The whole building was probably on high alert already. She inhaled and walked out of the elevator on her toes. The sound of her heart beating deafened her, and the thought of others being able to hear it too made her hands sweaty.

It took her a few seconds to realize the gravity of the situation when she saw a red laser dot moving slowly on her upper body. Her eyes grew when she saw the silhouette of a man slowly appearing from the darkness. He was at least 30 meters away, but he was a trigger pull away from ending her life.

Dying was a better option than being taken prisoner, she reckoned, and with that thought, she took her chances and jumped to the left. She crashed against the door, which opened with a crack and she fell on the floor of the small office that was behind it.

"Stop, or I'll shoot", the man shouted through the hallway. She got up from the floor and scanned the room. The only other exit was the window. Without hesitation, she opened it and climbed into the opening. Although she wasn't afraid of heights, seeing the floor 12 meters below her made her head spin.

"There you are! Come down, and put your hands behind your head!", the guard said with an intimidating voice as he entered the room.

"Never", she said as she launched herself from the window opening. A loud bang made her ears ring, and she felt a force pushing her left shoulder. While she fell face down, she put her arms before her face, just moments before impact.

She opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. How long was she gone? The muscles all over her body burned and when she tried to stand up, her left arm refused to move. The branches of the foliage pricked her legs, but she was grateful it broke her fall.

The flashlight from the window she just jumped from blinded her, and she rolled away to get out of the vision of the guard. The bushes provided enough cover for her to evade the bundle of light. She crawled, pulling herself forward with her good arm until she reached the adjacent building, where she grabbed the wall to help herself up. Stumbling through a few alleys to lose any possible pursuers, she arrived at a large street. It was still crowded, despite the late hour. At first she didn't understand the strange looks of the passersby she attracted, but then she felt a sharp throbbing in her left shoulder. She touched the wound, but quickly retracted her hand and closed her eyes while whimpering. Her eyes grew when she saw the dark red blood on her fingers, that slowly mixed with the raindrops that fell on it.

"Excuse me, Miss?", she said as she walked towards a young woman.

"Oh dear, what happened? Are you all right?", the woman said, her eyes drawn to the blood soaked sleeve.

"For now. Could you help me and fetch some gauze from the clinic over there?", she requested.

The woman looked to the building on the other side of the road. "Just let me take you there."

"No! They... they won't help me. If you just can get it for me, please?"

"What do you mean they won't help you? Wait, you're not a dissident are you?", the woman replied while she narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps you should ask someone el..."

Her sentence was interrupted by the cold touch of a gun against her belly.

"Act normal, and give me your scarf. Then you can walk away."

She felt the body of the woman tremble, her eyes quickly moving left and right, but no one seemed to notice the situation. The woman handed over the scarf and did a step backwards.

"Thanks. Now, go and don't look back."

Five minutes later, the scarf was tightly bound around her shoulder. It probably wasn't the best solution and it looked horrible, but it stopped most of the bleeding. She left the alley where she sealed the wound, merged with the other people on the street and set for her home, while the distant thunder rumbled in the Osakan skies and the drizzle became a downpour. She looked down every time a patrol car passed by her, to make sure she didn't catch their attention. There wasn't much to fear though. One of the perks of not knowing who you are is the fact that others most likely didn't know your identity either. 

She slammed the door of her one room apartment and rest her back against it. Tears ran across her face, her hands trembled and the water from her soaked clothes dripped on the wooden floor. "Fuck this!", she exclaimed. The neighbor replied by knocking on the wall a few times, but his lack of sleep was the least of her problems. She let herself fall on the mattress that lay in the corner, grabbed her phone and started typing away. The screen reflected her face, her squinted eyes, her pursed lips.

_Kaz, wth! You gave me the wrong password. It was all for nothing, and I almost got killed in the process!_

The second she tapped 'send', she felt a shock go through her body. "No...", she mumbled as the room started spinning and her vision became blurry. "Not... again." She threw her phone aside, stumbled to the kitchenette and took out a tiny bottle from one of the cupboards. "Owww", she moaned and grabbed her head. With her other hand, she turned over the bottle and took the pill that fell out of it. With her vision almost gone, she touched inside the cupboard to find a glass and once she found one, she filled it with water to wash away the pill with one big gulp.

Within a minute, her headache subdued and her surroundings became recognizable again. Her relief lasted shortly though. She looked at the bottle, laying on its side. "No!" She started to shake it frantically, as if that would magically fill the bottle again, but it stayed empty. "No..." She slowly fell to her knees and crawled back to her mattress.

She hit the mattress on various places to locate her phone, tapped the screen a few times and put it to her ear. "Hello?", a sleepy voice answered.

"Mizuki? I ran out. Can you help me?"

"Hina, what... could you stop calling me in the middle of the night?"

"It's bad."

"Fine", the woman on the other end sighed. "Meet me tomorrow at nine. The usual place."

**~ To be continued ~**


	2. Home is where the heart is

**October 16th, 2024**

Hina waited for Mizuki at their usual trade spot. The narrow back alleys were anything but cosy, but it was one of the few spots in Osaka that didn't have security cameras spying one's every move. There was actually almost nothing. No neon lights, no patrol cars and no people. But also no Mizuki. She was probably running late again.

Hina was holding an umbrella with her good arm to protect herself from the torrential rain that swept over Osaka for the last ten hours. She liked it when it rained, because the umbrella was perfect to hide her face. The sound of the drops on the canvas calming her impatience somewhat was a nice bonus.

The phone in her jacket ringed a message notification. Hina expected a message from Mizuki, but it was from Kaz.

_I don't make mistakes. Either you entered the wrong password, or the system was secured with a fingerprint identification system. Remember, I am not your enemy. Glad you're still alive. Kaz._

"Fuck you", Hina mumbled as she put her phone back in her pocket. 

It was an hour later when she heard a faint panting behind her. When she turned around, she saw a black haired woman looking to the ground, holding her knees with her hands. "Sorry... I..."

"It's okay. Do you have the pills with you?", Hina cut the small talk. 

The woman looked up, still holding her legs, her eyes squinted. "What's with your attitude? You could be a little more grateful, you know? But yes. I have a few, just went to get them. You said it was bad?"

"Sorry... I appreciate it, I really do. But Mizuki, what do you mean, a few?"

Mizuki grabbed a little bag from her coat, which contained three purple colored pills. Hina's eyes grew. "Three? That's all you have? Mizuki, I can't..."

"I tried! It's getting harder each day to obtain these pills and the demand is growing. This is all I have for now. Also... I have to raise my price."

Hina's stare intensified. "By how much?"

"You can have these pills for 30.000 yen."

Hina felt the ground below her disappear. "You... tripled it? Don't you see I need those pills bad! The attacks... they're getting worse. Can't you do... something?"

"30.000 yen. Take it or leave it. Enough other junks... uh... people I can sell this to."

Hina threw the umbrella aside, took the gun from her jacket and pointed it to Mizuki. "Give them to me", Hina said, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she felt something that lingered between desperation and self-loathing.

"Really now", Mizuki smirked and she walked towards Hina with small steps until her face was around four inches away from the gun. "Go ahead, pull the trigger", she continued without letting go of her grin.

Hina's hand shook more with every step the other woman took. It was as if she could see right through her and knew that she was not going to shoot her. As if she knew that it was a desperate reflex that surprised Hina herself. She waited for a few seconds, lowered her gun and sighed. "Can I buy two? I don't have more money right now."

"Sure. That'll be 20.000 yen." 

Hina moved her hand through her pockets, and collected a few wrinkled bills until she got the right amount. "Here you go", she said and handed over the cash, while she took the two pills with her other hand. 

"Thank you very much. If you need more, you know where to find me. But please, give me a call during the day for a change. I need my rest."

"Mizuki? Please be careful", Hina said as Mizuki turned and walked away. "I know you aren't afraid, but one day, someone _will _pull the trigger. And I can't promise you it won't be me."

Mizuki looked back over her shoulder, looked at Hina and nodded.

Hina waited until Mizuki turned around the corner, and when she was out of sight, Hina collapsed to the ground crying. "What the fuck is happening to me..."

After getting a hold of herself, Hina walked out of the alley and set for her apartment, her legs moving quickly beneath the dark and fast moving clouds, while tapping away at her phone. Things needed to change, and the first step was to find out Kaz' motives.

_Kaz, I don't know if I can trust you anymore. Can we meet face to face? It's kind of ridiculous I only know your name while I risk my life doing what you say I should do._

Although Kaz never properly introduced herself, Hina was happy with every help she could get. But the bullet in her shoulder made her doubt Kaz' intentions, and the more she thought about it, the more the secrecy was upsetting her. 

She suddenly stopped walking when she arrived at the corner of the street, and looked to her apartment window that was on the other side of the road. Her heart started racing when she saw shadows moving in her living room, and quickly jumped behind a car. Through the car's window, she looked to the entrance of her apartment building. Two men were standing outside. They looked like regular office men, but she knew they weren't. 

She sneaked across the street and duck behind another car that was parked nearby the entrance. She heard the automatic doors of the apartment building open, and when she peaked through the window, she saw a third man exiting the building.

"She is not here, but there are clues she has been here recently. We'll wait until midnight. Circle the block every now and then", the man said to the other two, who nodded in understanding. 

"How... how did they find me?", she whispered. Did they tail her the night before? Did someone betray her? She wanted to punch the car for not knowing the answers, but knowing that such an action could draw unwanted attention, she clenched her fist until her nails drove into her palms. There was nothing she could do but return the day after, collect her stuff, and abandon the place for good. 

**~~~**

After hours of wandering in the city to find another place to stay, she pushed the doorbell button of a lavish looking house, located just outside the bustling commercial district of northern Osaka. The atmosphere in this part of the city was very different . The people on the streets weren't in the usual hurry, and instead of screaming neon signs, this neighborhood was rich with trees and small parks. It was a little paradise between all the concrete and glass that the city had to offer. But even in this area, Hina made sure to keep her guard up, because the patrols were as frequent as in the rest of the city. 

She smiled, thrilled to be here again after two weeks, as much as she was ashamed for the long period of absence. A tall woman with dark brown hair opened the door. "Hina? Where have you been?" Her eyes were drawn to the self-made bandage that decorated Hina's shoulder. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"I got... shot."

"Again?! How does an innocent girl like you get shot twice in a year?"

"Collateral damage, I believe is the term. People started shooting each other while I walked by." 

The other woman rolled her eyes. "Try the truth for once?"

"Can we not talk about this?", Hina replied and gave the woman a firm kiss, but retracted slowly when she realized it wasn't answered. "Minami? What's wrong?"

"Hina, why are you here?"

"Eh?"

"What do you need this time? Food? Money? Sex?" 

Truth was, she needed it all, but being honest about it didn't seem like a good idea. "I... just wanted to see you. I missed you." She wasn't lying. Minami was her save haven, and maybe the only source of happiness in her life. A sweet, hard working woman, without secrets or a past that haunted her. Opposites attract, they say. There must have been some truth in that. 

Minami looked to the ground. "You always say you miss me. And still you disappear every time for one or two weeks. Without a sign of life. Not answering my calls or messages. And now you show up again, because you miss me? Have you ever thought about how much I miss you? About how after all these months, I still don't know anything about you? What are doing Hina?"

The little vibration in Minami's voice made Hina tear up. 

"Minami, I am sorry... but I told you, there are some issues I need to deal with. Alone."

"You told me. But why can't you trust me? Whatever it is that is going on, you don't need to deal with it alone."

Hina trusted her. But she wanted Minami to stay out of her world, filled with danger and death. She didn't want her to worry, or to get hurt. But there was no way she could tell her that without telling everything.

"Hina, I need some time to think. About us. I love you, but honestly, being in a relationship with you... it hurts me. Maybe I am better off if we break up."

The dreaded sentence was finally spoken. Although Hina expected this conversation to happen much sooner, she felt her legs become heavy. 

"I... I understand. But I hope you realize I am like this... to prevent you being hurt."

"It doesn't work that way Hina. We're in a relationship. We tell each other what bothers us, what drives us, what we need help with. Otherwise, there is no use, is there?"

"Why can't we just enjoy each others presence, and forget about all of those things?"

"That is the most stupid question I have ever heard."

Hina nodded. She realized the same as soon as she asked the question. "Minami... can I stay the night? I don't have a place to go..."

Minami sighed and fought her tears. "You can take the couch. Good night." She walked to her bedroom and slammed the door. 

Hina walked from the hall into the spacious living room, where a few lamps emitted a soft, warm light. She walked to the television to turn it off, and arranged some pillows on the couch to make herself comfortable. There were no sheets, but the room was nicely warmed. A stark contrast with what used to be her 'home', where cold winds penetrated the walls every night and heating was too expensive. 

Once she got in a comfortable position, Hina's phone vibrated on the table, making it move a bit. She picked it up to read the message.

_If meeting face to face is necessary to regain your trust, I will agree to meet you. But I will pick the place. Somewhere neutral and safe. I'll let you know tomorrow. Kaz._

"Fine by me", Hina muttered while she laid herself back on the couch. Her thoughts quickly returned to the woman in the bedroom. She could not remember seeing her this mad before, and it was nothing but a miracle she didn't kick her out. She reckoned it was probably better to leave early in the morning, in order to avoid another awkward conversation. Hina set the alarm clock on her phone and closed her eyes. She felt her body relax more with each breath. She felt safe. This was the only place that truly felt like home. Tears began to run over her face, wetting the pillow beneath her head. 

In the morning, she left as soon as the sun rose, wondering if she'd ever return here.

**~ To be continued ~**


	3. Grey stains and silver tongues

**May 2nd, 2023**

  
"Congratulations on your big victory, Prime Minister Sato. How does it feel to win the elections by such a landslide?"

The new Prime Minister looked at the interviewer while correcting his tie. "It feels great. Finally, the citizens of Japan get what they deserve. A better, longer life without poverty. More jobs, with better circumstances. And a cleaner and safer environment, not to forget."

"You mentioned these improvements during your campaign a lot, and although it sounds promising, I can't help but feel it sounds a bit too good to be true. Don't get me wrong, I am sure you are a capable man. But you make it sound you'll change Japan into some sort of... paradise?", the interviewer replied.

"We have our work cut out for us, for sure. But even though I am a newcomer in the political realms, I have laid the foundation of my view for Japan many years ago with my company. A company that made groundbreaking discoveries on many levels."

"Speaking of your company, some people speak ill of your sudden rise as a politician. Their main argument is that there might be a conflict of interest."

"I always play by the rules. That's why I resigned as the CEO the moment I got the chance to run for Prime Minister. My daughter will follow in my footsteps. There are a few loose ends to tie up, but there will be an official announcement soon. "

"Be that as it may, it gave you some benefits that your opponents didn't have. The funding for your campaign, for example."

"Once again, I play by the rules. I worked very hard to make New World Inc. the company that it is today. With all that we invented and developed, we can make Japan a better place. The company heavily invested in my campaign, and will earn a lot of money in the coming years because of my victory. I don't think that is wrong. I am not the only one that wins. Every citizen will reap the benefits of my leadership. I will occasionally publish the numbers, including the financial numbers. I am not one to keep things secret, I have nothing to hide."

"Thank you for your time, Prime Minister Sato", the interviewer concluded. "I just received word that we are switching to an extra news broadcast."

The television turned to a logo for a few seconds before a woman behind a large desk appeared on the large screen. 

"Good day. This is an extra news broadcast. A gruesome murder has shaken up the residents of Toshima, Tokyo, where a 27 year old girl has been stabbed to death this morning. The prime suspect is the 26 year old girlfriend of the victim, Sayuri Matsumura, who's whereabouts are currently unknown."

A picture of the suspect was shown on the screen. Hanae looked up from her dishes to the television, distracted from her chore by the gruesome news. 

"The victim suffered 33 stab wounds and died right away", he continued. "If you see this woman, inform the authorities immediately. Do not approach her, she might be dangerous."

The television switched to a local live footage, where a woman living in the neighborhood was being interviewed. "I can't believe it. I never thought something this evil would ever happen around here. This is a peaceful neighborhood, you know."

"Do you know the suspect?", the interviewer asked.

"Yes, I knew her. The victim as well. Sweet young women, the both of them. They lived together. It's hard to believe either of them is capable of something this horrible... I don't believe she did it. She is missing, right? For all we know, she is murdered too."

Hanae put the plate she was drying back in the water filled sink and walked to the television with a slow pace. For some unknown reason, she felt her stomach become heavy and a sudden urge to cry rose up. The picture on the television switched to the crime scene, and although most of it was blurred, the blood stains on the floor were clearly visible. It made Hanae gag, and made her wonder why these images are broadcast during the day. With trembling hands, she grabbed the remote control and turned off the television. A few deep breaths managed to calm her down again.

Then she heard the sound of her cellphone beeping from the kitchen. Without hesitation, she sped to the device and swiped the screen.

"Hello?"

"Miss Maruyama? This is Hideo Kuno from Osaka General Hospital. Sorry to call you so soon, but your test results have come in and I wanted to talk about it with you. Can we make an appointment as soon as possible?"

"Sure. Is it... not good?"

"It's too complicated to explain over the phone. It's better to discuss it face to face."

Two hours later, Hanae sat down on a chair, her feet tapping the floor irregularly and her body swinging from left to right restlessly. On the other end of the desk sat doctor Kuno, staring with squinted eyes at a large computer screen, his finger moving on the scroll wheel of the mouse in front of him. 

"Maruyama... Maruyama... this is really strange. I thought there was some kind of bug the day you came here for the tests, but I still can't find your medical history. You should get this fixed as soon as possible. I was hoping it could shed some light on what we have discovered."

His last words echoed in Hanae's head for a few seconds. "Doctor Kuno... is it cancer?"

The doctor coughed and opened the file that was before him on the desk. He took a few photographs out of it and turned them towards Hanae. "To be honest, I am not sure. But I found something that doesn't look right." He pointed to a little dot that the MRI scanner managed to capture. "It's here. It seems to be attached to your spine. The thing that worries me is the shape. Look at this close up. It's... I have never seen something like this before."

Hanae leaned over and looked closely at the photo. She could clearly see the distinctive edges and pointy ends, making the shape almost perfectly triangular. The thought of such a thing inside her body seemed surreal. "Can you remove it? Whatever it is, it should be removed, right?", she asked, her voice about to break.

"First, we need to understand what it is in order to determine the best treatment. I want to run an extra blood test, but I also want to do an endoscopy."

"Endoscopy?"

"It's a thin tube with a camera inside it. It makes it possible to have a real time view of the anomaly. It's probably fairly easy to identify it when we see it that way."

Hanae nodded. She heard doctor Kuno continue to talk but it faded to the background as she tried to comprehend her situation. Her vision became blurry and a ring in her left ear started to increase its volume. "Hnnn", she uttered while she closed her eyes and grabbed the desk in order to find some stability. 

"Miss Maruyama? Are you all right?", the doctor said while he ran to the other side of the desk. Hanae didn't hear his words. Tears ran down her face as she lost every sense of her surroundings and then everything went black.

She blinked her eyes and as the blur faded, the white and grey dotted pattern of the ceiling became sharp again. Her hands felt the soft blanket of the hospital bed, which made her rise up from her lying position. She looked down, relieved she was still wearing her own clothes. A nurse came walking towards her. 

"Please, take it easy Miss Haruyama. Have some rest."

"What happened? I... my brain felt like it would explode."

"Most likely you suffered from a panic attack. It's not unusual. Doctor Kuno told me you were already nervous. We can't blame you, this must be an insecure period for you."

The nice words of the nurse irritated Hanae. "How would you know anything about how I feel?!", she lashed out, after which she grabbed the glass of water from the table next to her and threw it at the unsuspecting nurse, who managed to dodge the projectile just in time. It crashed into the wall with a loud bang, drops of water and pieces of glass flying around.

Both the nurse and Hanae looked at each other with wide eyes. "I... I am so sorry", Hanae said as her face turned red upon realizing her sudden and rather extreme reaction. She jumped from the bed and walked rapidly towards the door of the room. "I truly am sorry", she whispered to the nurse and once she arrived in the hallway, she started to run. She ran all the way down taking the stairs, through the main hall until she walked through the main door and felt the afternoon sun on her face. She stood still, and let the repressed tears flow.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

**~ To be continued ~**


	4. Words that do not exist

**October 17th, 2024**

Hina opened the door of the room and peaked inside. It was small and there wasn't much to be seen except a large screen on a small desk at the other end of the room and a small foldable chair that was in front of it. It smelled of cigarettes, but the room itself was clean. Hina sneaked inside, closed the door and sat down in the chair. 

"Computer on", she commanded, after which the screen lit up and a web browser opened. Hina wasn't a fan of voice control. It felt unnatural to her. Luckily, there was an old-fashioned keyboard connected to the system as well, which she put on her lap. She grabbed her phone to once again read the instructions Kaz sent her.

_Rent a room in the KumoNet internet cafe near Osaka Station. It's one of the few places I managed to set up a secure link. Connect your phone to the computer in that room and visit https://574.476.071.211:442. _

Hina was agitated by the fact that all this seemed as if she was trying to postpone their meeting. She didn't want to play hide and seek. She wanted to meet the woman in person, but the other person didn't seem impressed by the barrage of swear words Hina replied soon after receiving the message. "A necessary precaution", she called it. Hina sighed, took a cable out of her coat and put it between the computer and her phone. Then she typed the mentioned address in the bar and slammed the enter button.

A video screen opened immediately and showed a young woman in her twenties. Her dark long hair and red lips contrasted with her white skin and her mouth showed a kind smile, which formed dimples just next to her lips. 

"Hello, Hina", the woman on the screen greeted. It startled Hina, since she didn't expect to actually speak to someone.

"Uh, hi", she said with a low voice and nodded her head a little. 

"You seem surprised. I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"No. Don't worry... I didn't know what to expect. Are you... Kaz?"

"Yes. Or actually, it is short for Kazumi. Please call me Kazumi."

"Kazumi. Thank you for everything you have helped me with until now. But I have some questions I would like to be answered. That's why I requested to meet you. If you have questions for me, I'd be happy to answer them as well."

"That won't be necessary. Hina, I already know everything about you."

The thought of that creeped Hina out, and she could only hope she was just bluffing.

"Kazumi... why are you helping me? There is nothing I can give you in return."

"You are wrong, Hina. I am helping you because I want to make amends. I am to blame for your death. I betrayed you. And many others. You are one of the few who got a second chance at life, but... I also know you sometimes wished you stayed dead."

Hina stared at the woman on the screen, holding her tears. Her last sentence couldn't be more right. It was a thought that occasionally crept into her mind. Mostly at night, when she calmed down and all the other thoughts went numb. She didn't know if she was happy in her previous life. No matter how hard she tried, some feelings from that life seemed unrecoverable.

"I never wanted to betray you, and the others", Kazumi continued. "But I was threatened. If I didn't do as they told, they would torture and kill me. I lived in fear for a long time. But one day, I had enough of it. My life became unbearable anyway. The guilt, it ate me alive. So I started to make things right, secretly."

The screen glitched and Kazumi disappeared, but the connection seemed to reestablish after a few seconds. That's when Hina noticed. She looked closely at the screen, at Kazumi's face. The picture of her weren't made of regular pixels, but tiny Japanese characters that made up the shape and colors of the woman's face. She had seen this in works of art before, but never this realistic and in motion. 

"I see you notice my true form", Kazumi said. Hina sat back up again, feeling a bit guilty. "Don't worry, Hina. It just means that I couldn't talk to you before they found me."

"W... what? Kazumi, what do you mean?"

"I am a skilled hacker, but I knew from the beginning that I wasn't invincible. That one day, they would realize I secretly worked against them. That they would find me, and silence me. The fact that you see this form of me means they succeeded. Luckily, I was able to create this A.I. version of myself in time. They killed me, but they will never silence me."

Hina couldn't stop the tears anymore. "Kazumi, I am so sorry. You shouldn't have gone against them. I would've understand, you know..."

"It's alright. I will keep my promise. I will help you to find what you need about the Lazarus project, just as I have been trying to do all time. I don't have the answers to the questions you have about that, but I can help you to find them."

"Thank you, Kazumi. I apologize for doubting you. I feel bad now that I know what happened to you."

"I am happy you doubted me, Hina. You shouldn't trust anyone nowadays. I knew I had to tell you some day anyway."

"Say, Kazumi. Who is Mai Shiraishi?"

"Why? How do you know that name?", Kazumi replied with obvious reluctance. Even though Kazumi may be an A.I. today, her emotions felt very human to Hina. 

"I learned about her murder case a few years ago. Her name never left my memory since I heard it for the first time back then. It's as if she is calling me from far away, even to this day. I don't know why, but I think it means something."

"Well, I need to show you something that may put some things in perspective. But I am afraid we have to finish our conversation for now. I am noticing a steady pattern of unauthorized activity over this connection, which makes me believe they are onto us."

"Let's disconnect. How can I come in contact with you again?"

"I already installed myself on your phone. From now on, I am always with you. Just call my name. If I am not responding, find a secure environment."

"You're amazing. Bye!", Hina said quickly as she pulled the phone from the computer and closed the browser as quickly as possible.

A fist pounded on the door of the small room. "Open the door. Now!", a male voice on the other side commanded. Hina was glad she locked the door when she arrived, so the element of surprise could be to her advantage. Slowly, she walked to the door while slipping her right hand into her pocket. Once she felt the shape of her switch blade, she opened the door. In the hallway, she saw two men standing. They wore the same uniform as the men that stood before her apartment building the day before. 

"What's wrong?", Hina asked with her most innocent voice.

"You know exactly what's wrong, Miss Maruyama", the man closest to the door said, and grabbed Hina's arm. "You are arrested for crimes against the nation."

Seeing no way to solve this peacefully, Hina twisted herself out of the man's grip and grabbed the knife from her pocket. "That. Is. Not. My. Name!", she said, her eyes full of fire while she plunged the blade into the man's abdomen after every word. He collapsed on the spot, his body devoid of any sign of life. His colleague reached to his belt, but he was not quick enough to draw his gun. A swift strike to the neck silenced him forever as well.

She ran into the lavatory to clean as much of the blood as possible, after which she headed for the fire escape. Exiting through the main entrance didn't seem like a good idea. The fire escape lead to a staircase outside. Hina ran down, while she grabbed her phone.

"Kazumi. Are you there?", Hina asked, breathing heavily.

It was silent for a few seconds, but then she heard a familiar voice reply. "I am here. Is everything all right?"

"No, you were right. They almost caught me. Say, can you somehow erase the footage of the cameras on the 4th floor? There is some... incriminating evidence."

"Sure. Consider it done."

"Thanks Kazumi."

Hina reached the street level, and continued running, fearing that the enemy could jump out of every corner. She ran straight for about 2 kilometers until she ran out of breath completely. She rested her hands on her knees, and looked up while panting. She didn't recognize the place she was. It didn't really matter though, because she had nowhere to go. The first thing Hina did when she left Minami's house that morning was returning to her apartment to pick up her stuff. It wasn't much, as it all fitted in a backpack that she stashed in one of the lockers at the train station. But she had no home anymore, nor a back up plan. And that was the first time that happened. She hesitated. Should she ask Kazumi for a solution? 

She grabbed her phone, looked at the screen and hesitated. Somehow, it felt wrong to rely on Kazumi for every single problem. Then a sudden impulse hit her. She opened her contacts and tapped on Minami's name.

"Hina? What's wrong?", a worried voice sounded through the phone speakers. 

"Hi. Uh, nothing. Sorry for calling, but I... I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Are you crying?"

"No. No, I am just tired", Hina lied.

"Come on Hina, I am not an idiot. You never call me. Something's up."

"I am just trying, okay? To be the girlfriend you deserve. Even though I know I will never be that girl. But... I love you..."

"Hina, don't do this... let's just break up, okay?"

**~ To be continued ~**


	5. Woes of the deathless

**October 18th, 2024**

The blinding light of the morning sun peaked over the edge of the roof and reached the corner of the alley where Hina was sleeping. It made her cover her eyes and turn her face to the ground. She didn't remember falling asleep here, and it took a few seconds before she realized her whereabouts. After another few seconds, she remembered why she cried herself to sleep at this very place, and immediately her stomach felt like stone again. 

She reached for her phone, hoping for a message of Minami. A message in which she expressed her regret about the things she said over the phone last night. Or just a missed call. Something. But she also knew there wouldn't be one. 

Her ears started ringing. "No.....not... again", she whispered as a headache came in full effect and the shapes around her seemed to melt into a multi-colored blur. With it came the sudden urge to vomit, but since she hardly ate anything the past 24 hours, it was limited to a couple of gag reflexes. She grabbed her throbbing head with her left hand, and pressed the other hand to the ground in order to prevent collapsing to the concrete. 

She turned around slowly, grabbed a pill from her coat and swallowed it dry. The effects were almost instant. A sigh escaped from her mouth as she closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles. The pills took her from hell to heaven. 

"Rise and shine, sweetheart!", an enthusiastic voice coming from her phone interrupted Hina's short lived reverie. 

"Kazumi... what the. I am already awake", Hina replied while she looked at the giddy face on her phone screen. 

"You don't look awake."

"Well, I am, okay? Why'd you wake me anyway? I didn't summon you."

"I am very sorry, almighty queen Hina. But you asked me about Miss Shiraishi yesterday, and I thought today to be the opportunity to learn you a thing or two about her. I wasn't aware you were Miss Grumpy McSulky today, so bye!"

"Fuck you Kaz! My girlfriend broke up with me, I spent the night sleeping in an alley crawling with rats and I just got another seizure. I have every fucking right to be in a foul mood."

"...right. Hina, I apologize. I guess I don't know that much after all."

Hina sighed. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean bad. It's just.... I am stuck, you know. This isn't the usual rough patch."

"How many pills do you have left?"

"Two."

"Hmm. I'll try and track down a new supply for you. And we have to get you some money as well."

"Do I have to rob a bank?"

"No. I have all the money in the world. I hack banks for breakfast, remember. We just can't have you withdraw it personally. But maybe someone else can help us? Perhaps your friend, that also happens to possess some of those pills you need every now and then?"

"Mizuki?"

"Yes. Mizuki Yamashita is her full name, right? She has a bank account. I can transfer a nice sum to that account, in exchange for some pills and a pile of cash."

Excited by Kazumi's scheme, Hina didn't think twice and called Mizuki, who answered after three rings. 

"Hina! How nice of you to call during the day for a change!"

"Jeez, what's with all the witty reactions today? Anyway, can we meet tomorrow morning at nine? Bring all the pills you have, and ten million yen in cash."

The woman on the other side burst out laughing. "Hina... If I had that much money, I wouldn't be supplying pills to junkies in this godforsaken city, now would I?"

"I am serious Mizuki. The money will be on your bank account as we speak. And much more. Enough to escape this city, as you seem to desire."

"You're fucking with me aren't you?"

"Check your bank account Mizuki, and see for yourself. Come to the usual place tomorrow with the goods. That's all I ask."

Without waiting for a reply, Hina hung up. "Kazumi?"

"I am transferring the money right now. And I marked a location on your map. Please head to that place. You'll need to take the bullet train to Tokyo, after which it'll take about an hour to get there on foot. I suggest you take that time to prepare yourself mentally, because what I am about to show you might be... overwhelming. I already made the train reservation, so hurry to the station. "

A few hours later, Hina stepped through a large gate, and continued to walk on the stone path that was neatly build between the greenish hills that were on both sides of it. The grass was mowed short and there was a lot of space between each tombstone, which was quite unusual for a cemetery, but it gave off a calm atmosphere. 

"Hina? Please take the next path on the left. It'll lead you to some stairs. But before you go, are you sure you want to pursue this?"

Hina felt uneasy by the question, but she needed to know. "Yes, I am sure. I need to know about Mai Shiraishi", she answered as she took the path on her left. The stairs were short but steep, and Hina felt her legs, already tired from the long walk, starting to burn. At the top, there was another patch of green, with more memorial stones scattered around, surrounded by many beautiful flowers. There was almost no sound, as if there was an invisible barrier between the cemetery and its surroundings blocking all the city noise. She walked around, looking at the stones and the names written on it, looking for the name she couldn't forget for some reason. "Kazumi? I don't know why you are so concerned about me visiting her grave. I know she was murdered, so this shouldn't be..."

Then her body froze, and she felt a tight pressure on her chest, preventing her to take another breath. She fell to her knees, that dug themselves in the dry grass. Dumbfounded, she stared at the tombstone in front of her, on which the name HINA HIGUCHI was carefully carved. Although she knew she died once, it was an event shrouded in mystery. She never even considered there would be a monument bearing her name like this, let alone the possibility of it being visited by family, perhaps friends. It was too much, and she broke down.

After twenty minutes, she ran out of tears. "Kazumi?", she whispered, "I really died, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"How?"

"You got shot. It was before New World Inc. started to rule this country, but you were their enemy back then, as much as you are now."

"Kazumi... why did you do show me this? I asked for answers about Mai Shiraishi. This, I didn't want to know honestly..."

"Although unpleasant, it is an essential part of the answer. And it won't be the last thing you'd rather not know. So I am asking you once more, do you really want to pursue this?"

"I guess there is no turning back now, is there?"

"There always is. But should you continue, I will be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you."

"Now, the tombstone of Miss Shiraishi is conveniently located on the other side of this cemetery. Let's have a look."

Ten minutes later, Hina was looking at the mentioned monument. She recalled the media coverage of the murder case clearly, and while she did, new tears formed in her eyes. 

"Just like your grave, this one doesn't have a body either", Kazumi interrupted. 

"W-What?"

"Mai Shiraishi is not dead."

Hina shook her head, realizing that about everything she knew was a lie, or an inconvenient truth. 

"They revived her as well, huh?"

"No. She didn't die in the first place. She miraculously survived the attack. I don't know how she could survive such brutality, but she did. And for some reason I have yet to find out, they staged her death. I am trying to find her for years now. She occasionally pops up in some facial recognition database, but they are all dead ends. She's cunning, even more than you are."

Hina smiled. "You found me very quickly, didn't you? But why are you looking for her? Do you need to make amends with her as well?"

"Something like that. At the very least, I owe her an apology."

"Mai Shiraishi and I... we are connected somehow, aren't we?", Hina asked. "That's why I was shocked by hearing her name that day."

"Maybe that's a story for tomorrow. What I have shown and told you today is already enough to process."

"No, Kazumi, spill it. What history do she and I have?"

"You were lovers. And you were killed by the bullet that was fired at Miss Shiraishi, because you were a brave woman and... intervened."

Hina sighed. Perhaps she should indeed have waited until tomorrow. "Let's go home. I am tired."

"Why don't you stay in Tokyo for the night? There is no rush. Besides that, you have no home."

"Thanks for reminding me. Other than that, I have to meet Mizuki tomorrow in Osaka."

"Catch an early bullet train and you'll make it in time. Hina, seriously, you need to get some rest. I made a reservation for a night's stay in a nearby hotel. False name of course. Security cameras are also dealt with."

Hina grabbed her phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen, to see the face of the woman that was talking to her all this time. No matter the situation, the A.I. always seemed to have a smile on her face. It made her feel comfortable. Somehow, there was nothing artificial about her at all.

45 minutes later, Hina let herself fall on the king size bed. The sheets were softer than anything she had ever felt. It must have been one of the most expensive fabrics ever. She closed her eyes.

"Wait a second, Hina", Kazumi interrupted. "I arranged a meal for you, it's by the window. Please eat it before it gets cold."

Hina jumped of the bed and walked to the window. The view on the 50th floor of this hotel was magnificent. The sun shone brightly, allowing for a perfect view of the bustling city, while mount Fuji was standing fiercely in the distance. Hina took a seat and lifted the cover from the plate. A delicious smell rose up from it, a nice blend of the beef, mushrooms, a variety of vegetables and sweet rice that were on the plate. Upon looking at it, Hina realized how hungry she was, grabbed a fork and started to devour the culinary goodness at a rapid pace. 

After finishing it all, she leaned back in the chair. "Kazumi, how did you... this must've cost a fortune. The room, the view, the food... this is only for rich people."

"You are a rich person today, Hina. You only need to pretend to be Miss Tanaka. A high level government employee. She is the one that reserved this room, but she couldn't make it because I made her train malfunction. Of course she tried to call the hotel and cancel the reservation, but I intercepted the call. Just a few easy tricks really. But Hina, don't worry. You deserve some slack once in a while. Enjoy it. It has been a rough day."

"Thanks... I have to ask though, apparently you can hack and manipulate just about everything, right? When you decided to go against New World Inc., why didn't you just hack all the evidence of Project Lazarus and make it public. It would've destroy them."

"I did, and it backfired. I couldn't get a hold of the complete archive back then, but I managed to steal quite some files, some with really incriminating evidence. Unfortunately, by the time I released it all in the open, New World Inc. had just announced a groundbreaking method to cure Alzheimer. In the eyes of the public, the company was a godsend. The information I made public was cast aside as slanderous, fake news. No one believed it, and no one cared enough to investigate the matter. Except for the company itself, who hunted me down and put a bullet in me."

"Your battle... I mean, our battle, it isn't over. One day, we'll show the world what's truly happening. Together we can do that, Kazumi."

**~ To be continued ~**


	6. Countermeasures

**May 10th, 2023**

"Please come in, Miss Maruyama. And thank you for coming today on such a short notice."

A tall woman opened the door for Hanae, and looked at her with a friendly smile. Hanae didn't expect such a warm presence. Most nurses in this particular wing of the hospital were friendly, but had a dejected facial expression, and the emotional scars of working with very ill people every day were clearly visible. But this woman, she must be new, Hanae reckoned.

"Thank you", Hanae said as she entered the room. She looked around, only to see a couple of high tech instruments. An uneasy feeling overtook her. "Excuse me, I was expecting to have an appointment with Doctor Kuno, and..."

"Doctor Kuno couldn't be here due to illness, he has the flu", the woman interrupted. "I was under the impression they called you to inform you? Sorry if that isn't the case. I will replace him today. I hope you don't mind? My name is Momo Kinoshita. Don't worry, you'll be in experienced hands."

Hanae was a bit overwhelmed by the barrage of short sentences and the speed with which this woman conveyed her comforting words, but it had the desired effect. Hanae felt some of her tension flow away and nodded. "I don't mind."

"We'll start with the endoscopy today. If you could take off your top and take a seat here?"

Hanae did as she was instructed, and slowly breathed out. As she did, she felt a little prick in the middle of her back. She hissed. It didn't really hurt, but she didn't expect it.

"This might feel a bit nasty, but it's the anesthesia. It will disappear quickly. In a few minutes, when the effects kick in, I will insert this into your back as well." Doctor Kinoshita showed a very thin and flexible wire, with a little black dot on top of it. It was a camera, even if it was too small to recognize as such. "If you'd like, we can watch it together? The camera feed will be visible on this monitor, and we can take a closer look at the dev... uh, anomaly near your spine." 

It all sounded quite unpleasant, but the smile of the woman made it seem like this was going to be a walk in the park. Hanae nodded again. "Sure, yes please." The past few days have been unbearable for Hanae. With every passing day, her fear of having a serious illness increased. It robbed her from her sleep, and she was hardly able to concentrate when working. Then she got the phone call that she could have the tests a week earlier. Now, she braced herself. Whatever the tests was going to reveal, she would have the answers to the questions that kept her awake. 

The monitor first showed something that looked like a dark cave. "I am slowly guiding the wire to your spine", Doctor Kinoshita explained, "you shouldn't feel anything, but please let me know if you are feeling uncomfortable."

"I will", Hanae replied.

"Good. Oh, look, there is your spine."

Hanae saw the light of the camera reflect on one of her vertebrae. She found it hard to believe she was looking at her own insides. 

"Now, look closely", Doctor Kinoshita continued, "when I twist this button, I can highlight various parts of your spine." 

Hanae saw multiple thin fibres lit up as if they were filled with a reflective liquid. Colors ranged from purple to bright yellow. It was quite beautiful. 

"Cool, isn't it? These are your spinal nerves, and they are all connected to your brain. Now, let's see what's messing with your spine."

The monitor showed the camera slowly going around the vertebra. 

"Ah, there!", the doctor exclaimed. "I think we found the culprit."

Amidst the bright white reflection of the bone, an anomalous shape could be seen. It was really small, around the size of a pea. It was dark colored and seemed to have hard edges. Multiple nerves seemed to run through it.

A chill ran through Hanae's body at the sight of the intruding object in her back. "Is that... a tumor", Hanae asked with trembling voice.

"No. It's something man made."

Those words hit Hanae hard. "Wait... how... what?", she stammered.

"Although I am not familiar with the procedures, it must have been put there during the surgery on your back you had 4 years ago."

Hanae looked at Doctor Kinoshita in disbelief. "What are you talking about? I never had a back surgery. I never had any form of surgery in my life to begin with!"

"But Miss, your medical file says otherwise. Say, do you have trouble remembering things lately?"

"Well, my memory isn't really my strong point. But I would certainly remember a surgery like that, won't I?"

"I believe you Miss Hi.. Maruyama, but your medical history does match with what we are seeing here. The thing on your spine is definitely artificial, and by the looks of it, it is leaking spinal fluid. That is what is causing the symptoms you have been experiencing. And it could very well explain extreme memory loss as well", she explained while carefully withdrawing the wired camera from her patient.

Hanae started to cry. "Don't trust my medical history. It can't be right. And whatever that thing is, please remove it!"

Doctor Kinoshita sat next to Hanae and put her arm around her. "I am really sorry. I understand you are confused. Honestly, I am a bit astounded as well. But I... I am going to help you in every way I can." The doctor removed a tear from her own cheek as well. 

"Are you... crying?", Hanae asked in surprise. She never witnessed someone in the medical field being this compassionate, but she knew it was heartfelt.

"However, I can't just remove it", she continued without answering Hanae's question. "It is an integral part of your nervous system, removing it would kill you. I am very sorry Miss Maruyama. But all is not lost. There is a medicine which reduces the leak significantly."

She walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room, and grabbed a bottle from one of its drawers.

"Here you go", she said as she handed the bottle over to Hanae. "Whenever you feel dizzy, experiencing mood swings or nausea, please take a pill. It will make you feel better quickly. Until we find a solution to deal with that thing once and for all, this is the only thing I can do for you at the moment."

**May 17th, 2023**

"Congratulations, Prime Minister Sato. You did it. You actually found a way to treat Alzheimer's disease. Can you describe your feelings at this moment?"

"Thank you. I feel very proud. The research for a cure has been a long and difficult one, but I never lost hope. Now that everything turns out the way we were planning in the very early stages, it truly feels like a victory. We defeated this disease, this horrible disease that affects thousands of people and their loved ones", the Prime Minister replied to the journalist.

"Prime Minister, even though you achieved such a miracle, there are people who claim you have gone beyond what is morally acceptable to do so."

"I assume you are talking about the rumors of us testing on mind controlled humans? It's perplexing, the stories some people come up with to discredit what we are doing. It's downright slanderous, but we know where it is coming from, and we are taking appropriate measures. For those in doubt, or just curious, we have an exposition starting next week at New World Inc., in which we explain the whole process of our research."

"Thank you Prime Minister. Back to..."

Hanae muted the television to answer the phone that was ringing next to her.

"Hello?" 

"Miss Maruyama? This is Doctor Kuno. Sorry for calling you, but did you perhaps forget about our appointment? I expected you half an hour ago."

"But, Doctor Kuno, my appointment was last week. Doctor Kinoshita performed the endoscopy."

"Doctor Kinoshita? But... that can't be. There is no Doctor Kinoshita working at this hospital."

**~ To be continued ~**


	7. Tired of running

**October 19th, 2024**

Hina sat on her knees and pulled down the zipper of the small, grayish backpack that stood in front of her. It opened smoothly, and it was filled to the brim with money. Ten million yen. Hina didn't expect to ever have so much money at her disposal, but there it was. 

"Thanks, Mizuki. This is really helpful. And... I appreciate that you didn't disappear with all of it."

"Hey! Do you think I am that kind of person? By the way, you said I could have the rest of the deposit, which is no small sum either. So I am the one to thank you, I guess. But honestly, who did you wack to have this money all of a sudden? You are one of the poorest people I know. Even now, you still look poor. Your clothes are old and dirty, and you are ugly. What is happening here?"

"I got help. From a friend."

"You have friends now? Or do you mean your girlfriend from the rich side of town?"

"Shut up! That's... a thing from the past. She has nothing to do with this. Another thing, you also brought some pills with you, I hope. I want them all."

"I've got a couple. I tried my hardest, but they are really scarce. People are seriously starting to kill each other over this stuff. These pills are all I could get."

Mizuki handed over a small vial, containing the pills.

"Five... well, I guess I really need to start worrying now", Hina said with a deep sigh.

"Hina... maybe it's time to consider quitting. You have enough money to start a new life and deal with your addiction properly. Now is the perfect opportunity, don't you think?"

"You don't understand. I am not taking them to get my high. My body... it's deteriorating. These pills, they just postpone the inevitable."

Mizuki stared in silenced for a few seconds.

"...I didn't know."

"That's okay. I never told you. But don't worry about me. Why don't you follow your own advice? Start a new life, have a career change? Get away from junkies that point guns at you?"

"I am leaving Osaka, that's for sure. I'll see where I'll end up. So... I guess this is goodbye."

"Thanks for everything Mizuki."

Mizuki walked away from the alley. Although they knew each other for a few years, they never really became friends. Whenever they met, most of the time their conversations consisted of snarky and sarcastic one-liners. But Hina would be dead if it wasn't for Mizuki. She always delivered when there was something Hina needed. "I am going to miss you", Hina whispered gratefully as Mizuki turned around the corner.

Her phone vibrated. 

"Is that you, Kazumi?"

"Yes. I am so proud of you! You have the money!"

"Most of it was your doing."

"That's... kinda true. But, no more sleeping in alleys!"

"You are going to hack hotels again, so that I can sleep peacefully?"

"Exactly. I already did. Not the most expensive one this time. Just a regular business hotel. But it has a kettle, a fridge, and more importantly, a safe! You can stay there unnoticed at least for a couple of weeks."

Hina grabbed the phone from her pocket. She wanted to see the face of Kazumi, who saved her again. Her smile filled the screen.

"Thank you Hina", she said as the sunlight touches the phone screen. "It was getting hot inside your pocket."

Hina smiled. Kazumi had a nice sense of humor. Subtle, and at the right times to brighten the mood. 

"I need to go to the train station first. After that, we can go to the hotel and discuss our next move", Hina proposed.

"Why the station?"

"There is a locker in which I stashed my belongings. I guess I can go pick them up now, since I have a new home."

"No need. It might be dangerous there. You can buy everything new anyway."

"No. There are some things in there that are irreplaceable." 

Twenty minutes later, Hina walked through the west gate of Shin-Osaka station and stepped on the escalator to the first floor. She felt her phone vibrating again. This time, Kazumi switched to text mode, as she usually does when Hina is in a public area. 

_Two NW guards near the lockers. Don't go near them. They'll recognize you._

Hina sneaked to the nearest pillar and looked around the corner. Kazumi was right. The guards just stood there, and it seemed they had no intent to walk away any time soon.

"What should I do?", Hina whispered.

_Nothing. Turn around and come back tomorrow. There is no rush._

"No way", Hina hissed, "they'll be here tomorrow, and the day after. I had enough of it. I'm going, now."

With her head held high, she walked towards the lockers. Her heart rate increased with every step she took. Then, a flash, and a blast louder than anything she ever heard. It was overwhelming and everything went black for a moment. 

When she came to her senses, she found herself on the ground. Dust was flying around, and parts of concrete and molten plastic were scattered around her. She coughed and gasped for the little air that was left. And although her ears were ringing loudly, the screaming and crying of people were perfectly audible. 

She pushed herself up, and while she tried to stabilize from her dizziness, she saw the disarray in the main hall. A wall was on fire, but quickly spread, and smoke filled the space with terrifying speed. There were people lying on the floor, lifeless and wounded. Others ran for their lives in panic. 

"Hina? Please respond!"

"Yes, Kaz... I am here."

"Now is your chance. The guards went to provide aid, so they're gone. Get to the locker, grab your stuff and get the hell out!"

"W-what? Kazumi, there has been an attack! People are hurt, I have to help them."

"Are you insane? Helping them will eventually get you caught. Even if you help, you are still the enemy. They won't just thank you and let you walk."

Hina knew Kazumi was right, but she couldn't move due to indecision. She only wanted to help the wounded, and their loved ones that were bend over them, crying in despair. 

"Kaz... can you see what is going on? I mean, some detailed information. How many victims are we talking about?"

"The cameras and all data infrastructure are fried. I can't get close. I am sorry, I know it is difficult, but you need to go now. I already called in emergency services, five minutes before the blast. They are close, and will provide all the help these people need. Really, there is nothing we can do at the moment."

Reluctantly, Hina dragged herself to the locker. It was undamaged by the explosion. She opened it, grabbed the sports bag that was in it, and hurried out of the station. While the ambulances and police cars passed her with wailing sirens, she burst into crying. And while she wept, the words of Kazumi slowly dawned on her.

"Wait a second... Kazumi?"

"Yes?"

"What do you mean, five minutes before the blast?"

"I made a call, five minutes before I set off the explosion, in order to prevent as much casualties as possible."

Hina stopped walking. Her body flared up and her breathing intensified. She could only hope she heard that wrong. 

"You did what?", she hissed in the lowest of voices.

"Hina... are you mad?"

"You... did this?"

"I needed to create a distraction. You were walking right towards those guards."

"What the! That took five seconds, not five minutes. You must have been planning this the whole time!"

"I knew you were going to ignore my warning beforehand. You see, I can run algorithms that predicts ones actions based on..."

"Fuck off Kaz! You just murdered innocent people! There were men and women on the ground, dead. How could you ever think I wished for such atrocity?! I would rather get shot a thousand times than any of this!"

"I am programmed to protect you Hina. By all means necessary. Although I always choose the most peaceful way, there was no other measure I could deploy this time."

"You're sick. You make me sick. Get the fuck out of my life. Right now!", Hina said, her voice somewhere between anger and misery.

"Please Hina. If you really want to leave me, I will have no choice but to respect your wishes, but remember that I only did this to safe your life."

"Then I'd rather be dead. Go away, I said!"

"...If that is what you wish for. Can I just say one last thing?"

"No!"

"But I will. I just detected suspicious activity near the house of Miss Umezawa. Armed men, wearing New World uniforms. I know she broke up with you, but that was two days ago, so I figured you might still have enough feelings for her to check what is going on."

"Minami..."

Hina looked to the street as the traffic passed her rapidly. Being a teary eyed woman in Osaka seemed to mean nothing, as only the fifth taxi she waved at stopped. The ten minute ride to Minami's house also seemed to last a lifetime. The driver ignoring her pleads to drive faster didn't help either. 

When the taxi finally stopped in front of the house, Hina hurriedly left the car, throwing a pile of money on the seat. She ran to the front door, that was wide open and clearly kicked in. 

"This can't be happening...", Hina whimpered as she looked down the hall. Pictures were torn from the wall and smashed to the ground. The coat rack had suffered the same fate, coats and hats were scattered around. Amidst the mess, a trail of blood lead to the living room. 

Hina found Minami heavily wounded in the middle of a glass table that was in smithereens.

"Minami! Oh my God sweetheart. What have they done to you..."

She lifted Minami carefully from the broken pieces of glass and walked her to the nearest couch. She suffered from some nasty cuts and there was blood running from her face as well. "Kaz! Call an ambulance!"

"Already done. They'll be here in 49 seconds."

Minami tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't open more than halfway. It was enough to recognize Hina, who was bending over her and caressing her face.

"I didn't... tell them...", she said in a low, raspy voice.

"Shhh, it's okay. Don't exert yourself. Help is on the way, you'll be fine", Hina tried to comfort her.

"Why... are you crying Hina?"

The wailing of the ambulance sirens became louder.

"Because I love you and this is all my fault!"

**~ To be continued ~**


	8. Conditional statements

**October 19th, 2024**

The heart rate monitor showed a slow yet steady pulse. Hina sat at the edge of the hospital bed, holding the bruised hand of Minami, who came out of surgery half an hour earlier. She lied still with her eyes closed and her chest was slowly going up and down to the rhythm of her breath.

Hina's thoughts ran in circles, and with every cycle, the stone in her stomach became heavier. She was sure that what happened to Minami was her fault. The government wanted Hina behind bars. Or dead. At least not roaming the streets, being a nuisance. And what better way to find Hina's whereabouts than to beat it out of a loved one. They made sure not to kill her, so they could try to make her talk at a later date, Hina assumed.

But Minami knew nothing. Hina was always a mystery to her, even when they were madly in love with each other and decided to be a couple.

Hina felt the urge to punch something. Herself. She felt the guilt of meeting the girl in the first place. When you leave a trail of dead bodies behind you, it is only a matter of time it will affect those you want to protect. It was the exact reason she kept her distance all the time, but that wasn't enough. And the moment Minami decided to part ways, this happened.

She shouldn't be here, Hina reckoned. Every second she was near Minami, she put her in danger. But she couldn't make herself leave. She couldn't let go of Minami's hand, get out of the chair and walk out of the room. Hina realized she had to fight back. It was the only way to make sure this would never happen again. 

Another thing she realized was that in order to do so, she had to request the aid of a new enemy. Hesitantly, she took her phone out of her coat pocket. 

"Kazumi? Are you still there?"

The screen lit up, and the face of Kazumi appeared. Her usual smile was nowhere to be seen. Her face looked grey and her eyes had dark edges. Hina felt the revulsion rise the moment she saw her. 

"I am. I should leave right?"

"You should. But you can't. I..." Hina had trouble to say the words. "I need you. That explosion trick... can you do that again?"

"Wait a second. First you want to banish me for saving your life, and now..."

"Don't argue with me! I asked you a question."

"That depends on the circumstances."

"I want to you find the persons responsible for hurting Minami. Find out there base of operations, and blow it to bits. No one lives. Oh, and leave a message. That if they ever come near me or my friends again, I will light up everyone they love", Hina said heatedly.

"I can't do that."

"That's a lie."

"It is. But I really want you to reconsider this plan. I know you are angry, and you have every right to be, but this is a suicide mission. I'll..."

The door of the hospital room opened and a doctor stepped inside. The phone screen went black, and Hina quickly composed herself.

"I am sorry for being late", the doctor apologized, "but there was another emergency I had to take care of. But I have been wanting to inform you about Miss Umezawa's condition. Are you her family?"

"Yes, I am her sister", Hina lied.

"Well, your sister suffered many glass cuts, but none of them are dangerous now that they have been taken care of. She also has a broken rib and a bruised leg, which will heal perfectly fine given enough rest. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about her head. She suffered a fierce blow on the left side, and she lost her consciousness on the way to the hospital because of it. I hoped she would have woken up by now... but the fact that she hasn't means that we should consider the possibility that she slipped into a coma."

Hina didn't know what to say. She looked at Minami, whose slumber was looking peaceful...

"Minami..."

"She is a strong woman", the doctor continued. "Don't lose hope."

**~~~**

Hina held the key card to the door, which made it click open while making a approving beep. The hotel room was small but cosy. She looked around to see if there was anything suspicious, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Then she saw her sports bag on the bed. Hina slowly approached it, eyebrows raised.

  
"Kazumi? My bag? Why is it here?"

"I had it delivered. You dropped it when you jumped into the taxi earlier. I concluded you forgot about it, and had it picked up by a courier. Don't worry, it hasn't been opened."

Hina let out a sigh and relaxed.

"Also, I called Miss Umezawa's mother as you requested. She is on the way to the hospital. Miss Umezawa won't be alone."

"Thanks", Hina said softly and stared out of the window. In it, she saw her own reflection and realized how messed up she looked. Her clothes were torn and dirty because of the explosion, and there were stains of Minami's blood on her sleeves. 

"You can throw them away. We'll buy some new clothes online", Kazumi's voice sounded from the phone that lay on the bed.

"Fuck, are you reading my mind now?", Hina snapped, surprised that there was almost nothing that Kazumi couldn't figure out.

"I am sorry", Kazumi said, "... I truly am. For everything."

"The only reason you are here is because I need you. You can apologize all you want, but don't expect me to _ever _forgive you for what you have done. And as soon as I don't need you anymore, I hope you delete yourself."

Hina undressed herself and threw the clothes in a plastic bag.

"Order me some new stuff. Make sure it's discrete", she ordered with a low voice and stalked off into the bathroom. 

The hot shower was something she desperately needed. Her muscles were sore and her body was dirty, but the water did its cleansing work, both physically and mentally. After twenty minutes, she dried herself and walked to her sports bag. She quickly found a skirt and a top. It was the last set of clothing she had at that moment. 

Hina glanced at her phone that was still lying on the bed. She grabbed a pile of cash and the key card from the desk and quickly left the hotel room, not giving Kazumi any chance to intervene. She was sure that Kazumi would follow her around through every network possible, and that she might even help when necessary. But Hina wanted to clear her mind. To not hear Kazumi's voice for a few minutes. 

It was getting dark already, which was convenient. She walked slowly through the park that was located a few hundred meters away from the hotel. It was silent, save for the faint sound of traffic in the distance and the chatter of a few other persons that were leisurely enjoying the surroundings.

Hina walked slowly on the outer path of the park, looking at the sky. She was still torn about whether or not she should let Kazumi be a part of her life from now on. Reliving the terror that unfolded that morning made her nauseous, but at the same time, hating Kazumi for what she had done hurt her more than she wanted to admit. For quite a while, she felt she had a bond with her, even though it wasn't the real Kazumi, but a programmed copy. An intelligence so well done that it was hard to distinguish programmed logic and actual emotions. But she also knew that emotions could not be programmed, and that it must all have been a clever way to present decisions based on ifs and elses. She wondered, would the real Kazumi blow up a station to help a friend?

Would she herself blow up a station to help a friend? The question popped up out of nowhere, and the fact that she didn't knew the answer immediately threw her off. She stopped walking, as if that helped her to come up with a clear answer, but it didn't. The longer she thought about it, the more she felt the animosity towards Minami's attackers rise. She wanted them dead. All of them.

Whatever the cost.

**~~~**

"I'm back", Hina said softly as she closed the hotel room door, half an hour later. "I bought some melon bread, you want some?"

"You can have mine", Kazumi's voice said with a nervous laugh, "you could use the nutrition."

Hina sat down on the bed and took a bite out one of the breads.

"Hina, I thought about what you asked for in the hospital. And I also tracked down the motherfuckers that attacked Miss Umezawa. You only have to say the word, and they're dead. But I would urge you to reconsider. I have another plan to ensure the safety of Miss Umezawa."

"I am tired. Let's just talk about this tomorrow, alright?"

"Of course. I'll leave you alone. Good night Hina."

**October 20th, 2024**

Hina closed the hotel door with her feet. Her hands were full. She held a package under her left arm, and a bag of groceries in her right.

"Your new clothes have arrived!", Kazumi exclaimed joyously, as if nothing happened the day before and they were best friends for a long time. "Try them on. I hope you like them!"

"Later. I am hungry, and I want to eat something first. By the way, I don't care how they look on me. I gave up being fashionable a long time ago", Hina replied and took a bite out of the onigiri she was holding.

"Fine. So... what do you want to do today?"

"Check on Minami."

"I don't think you should go to the hospital. You'll endanger both Minami and yourself. I can keep you posted on her condition. I have direct access to her monitors."

"Of course you have."

"While we are on the subject, I came up with a plan to protect her. You said that you wanted me to blow up the headquarters of those responsible, but I don't think that is a wise thing to do. You'll only provoke them, putting everyone in danger. But, we can use my 'explosion trick' to defend Minami. The whole trick is nothing more than creating a short circuit near a gas pipe. There are a few locations in and around the hospital where I can pull that off. I already have a perimeter scan active to identify New World goons. If they come after Minami again, I can blow them to bits easily."

"Sounds cool and all, but how can you access electrical wires in the first place?"

"I can't, but literally everything is computer controlled these days. I can rewire stuff within milliseconds. So... do I have your permission to deploy this plan of defense."

"Yeah... absolutely!"

"How about innocent bystanders? I can calculate the moment of the explosion to the millisecond and minimize the impact on them, but what if there is no other option."

"Only if you have no second chance of stopping them", Hina replied without thinking.

"Understood. I guess we are not that different after all."

Hina looked up from her meal. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean. Don't... oh shit! Hina! Quick! Turn on the television!"

Startled by the panicked voice of Kazumi, Hina did as she was asked. A live feed of a large crowd was filmed from a helicopter. Many people seemed to be in fear, others looked around in disbelief. Ambulances and police cars were approaching. 

"That's Shibuya, isn't it?", Hina asked bewildered. "What the hell is going on?"

"It is Prime Minister Sato. He is lying on the floor, bleeding heavily. I am trying to get a close up."

"So finally someone tried to kill the motherfucker?", Hina asked. She couldn't hold her grin. 

"That appears to be the case. He has been hit by a bullet. I am trying to find out the location of the shooter by calculating the trajectory of the bullet. He can't be far. Give me a few seconds."

The news reporter on the television confirmed Kazumi's story, stating there has been an attack on the Prime Minister while he was giving a speech. Medical personnel was on site to provide first aid, and the police force as well as New World patrol agents did everything they could to calm the crowd and ensure their safety. 

"Hina, the shooter was on the rooftop of the Q-building across the street. Judging by the distance, the trajectory and impact wound, a sniper rifle was used. I just hacked a drone in order to analyze all the possible escape routes."

"Kazumi, on the television they say the Prime Minister is dead. Can you confirm?"

"The chance of survival after such an attack is extremely unlikely."

"Why are you after the shooter exactly? As far as I am concerned, he did a great job. You are not going to prevent his escape, are you?"

"No, I just want to have the full picture of what is going on."

The television continued its broadcast on the attack, with self proclaimed experts stating that the attack was most likely carried out by an anti government terrorist organization. An organization they suspected to be behind the attack on Shin-Osaka station as well. Hina scoffed when she heard the claims. "They know nothing. They are clueless!"

"That's right. They just want to give the people answers. That's how the media works. But we don't know who is behind this attack. It could still be very well be a terrorist group. And... oh wait a second. I detected a rope on the other side of the building. The shooter wears gloves, so unfortunately there are no fingerprints. But I found footprints. Small feet, large distance between each print. They run across several roofs, most buildings around here are connected by a bridge."

"Can you catch up with the shooter?"

"I might, this drone is fast. I am sending the camera feed to the phone, so you can see what I see. Much more interesting than what the television shows you."

Hina grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. "Hey, is that another rope?"

"Yes. It leads to the streets. And look! Someone is escaping on a motorcycle!"

"Can you get close to him? Or wait... is that a woman? I see long hair coming from under the helmet."

"That's what we need", Kazumi said with enthusiasm. "I can get a DNA profile from her hair, if I get close enough."

Hina held her breath as she saw the camera slowly but steadily approaching the motorcycle that successfully managed to escape the busy commercial center and was now speeding away to the north. 

"Scanning now", Kazumi said. "Aaaand.... done!"

Hina saw the camera going into the air, meaning Kazumi must have aborted the chase. 

"That was all I needed. Give me a minute while I cross-reference her profile with a DNA database. Oh, never mind. I already have a match. Oh my, this is... interesting."

"Kazumi? Could you stop being vague?"

"Sure, sorry. The shooter is Mai Shiraishi."

**~ To be continued ~**


	9. The fall of Mai

**April 18th, 2023  
**

"Can we talk about this later? I really need to go."

Mai grabbed her coat with a swift move and dashed to the door without putting the coat on. 

"When is later, Mai? You always run off when we have an argument. And afterwards you act like nothing is the matter. We need to discuss this!"

"I am busy, Sayuri! I was supposed to be at the office half an hour ago. We will talk about this when I return home. I promise, okay?"

"Fine", Sayuri replied, but Mai didn't catch her disappointed face as she didn't wait for an answer and closed the door behind her.

She walked to her car and shivered, realizing she was still holding her coat, and quickly put it on. Her life has been stressful for weeks now. Business at the office was going well, but there have been some layoffs as well, which resulted in a lack of personnel. Mai was the type that couldn't say no very well, so she took on a lot of responsibilities. But while she drove, she wondered if she started to lose control of it. She hasn't been home a lot, and when she was, she was having arguments with Sayuri. Her girlfriend realized early that Mai was working too much and urged her to slow things down. But Mai ignored her advice, saying it was just a temporary situation. 

Mai stared through her windshield, waiting for a red light. Although she had managed to get some decent sleep last night, her eyes felt heavy and she could hardly concentrate. There were many thoughts going around in her head. Half of it was mental preparation for the work she needed to get done that day, the other half involved feeling guilty towards Sayuri and how to deal with that, but that was mostly worrying without thinking of an actual solution.

Her introspection was abruptly broken by a loud horn coming from the car behind her. Mai only then noticed the green light, and quickly accelerated, raising one hand slightly to apologize to the row of cars behind her.

**~~~**

Mai walked to her desk while taking a sip of her coffee and throwing her bag to the side of it. 

"Miss Shiraishi, good morning. Good to see you", the voice of her manager said behind her. "Miss Inoue called in sick. I need you to take care of her tasks today."

"But manager, I have enough work as it is already."

"Please? We all have to do a bit extra at the moment. Here are Miss Inoue's files, just make sure to look into the important things. The rest can wait."

Mai sighed, just quiet enough for the manager not to hear it. Another day she couldn't make it home for dinner in time, she realized. 

**~~~**

Mai slowly opened the front door of the apartment. It was already past 23 p.m. and there was only a faint light coming from the windows, which made Mai suspect that Sayuri already went to bed. She kicked of her heels and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower before crawling into bed next to her loved one. She threw her arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek from behind. 

"Sorry for being late again. I couldn't keep my promise... I will make it up to you tomorrow, okay?", she whispered in her ear.

Although Mai could sense Sayuri was still awake, there was no reaction. And she knew she had only herself to blame. 

**April 26th, 2023**

Mai looked out the window to see if she could catch a glimpse of Sayuri. She could come home any minute now. Mai smiled at the thought of her reaction. She couldn't remember how long ago it was that she was the first to be home, but she managed to finally get the afternoon off and she wanted to make it count. She looked at the dinner table, which was dressed for a dinner with a loved one. The candles were lit, and the bottle of red wine she picked up on the way home stood on the edge of the table, next to two large glasses. 

Mai looked out the window again. Still no sign of Sayuri. The oven beeped which startled her a bit, but she ran to open it, curious to see what had become of her cuisine. She made a dish of Sayuri's favorite food which was a mix of fried chicken and sweet beans from the oven, and she sliced some fresh mango and prepared french toast as well. Mai looked at it all with pride, it looked and smelled perfect. 

She heard the door close. "Sayuri?", Mai asked with raised voice.

Sayuri peeked into the living room. "Mai? Why are you here? It is only 6 p.m.?"

"I prepared dinner for you. Look, it's your favorite food! Why don't you take a seat? Oh, wait, let me get your coat", Mai said. But Sayuri didn't move.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Eh? It's a surprise... I wanted some quality time, just you and me. It has been long overdue. It's my fault, I know that..."

"And you think a lame dinner is going to solve that?"

Mai's eyes became watery, her voice shaky. "No... I... don't you like it? I wanted to do something nice for you..."

"How about listening to anything I said for the past three weeks? You care more about your damn job than you do about me! And now you expect me to be happy and drink wine with you like nothing's wrong? Are you fucking delusional!?"

"Hey! I might not be the best in showing it, but you are everything to me. One of the reasons I work my ass off is to make sure we can continue to live like this. In this nice apartment, where we can have nice meals, while we can save a bit of money for the future as well. We had our fair share of trouble, we deserve this."

"Ha! You don't live here! You have your nice meals at work, while I am eating here alone every night. Don't give me this bullshit about money. I have a job too you know! You just keep denying our real problems."

"That's why I try to make things right again!"

Sayuri shook her head. "All this fake crap..." She grabbed the tablecloth and gave it a firm pull. The plates, cutlery, wine bottle and candles came with it, most of them crashing to shards the moment they hit the ground.

"Sayuri! What the hell!", Shiraishi exclaimed as she stamped on the candles to prevent the flames making burn marks on the floor. But Sayuri's rage wasn't finished. She grabbed the edge of the table with both her hands and flipped it. It crashed on its side with a loud thud.

"Sayuri! Please! stop!" Mai said, her voice full of desperation, not knowing how to deal with Sayuri's rather extreme reaction. 

"Fine. I am going to bed", Sayuri said and calmly walked out of the room, leaving Mai alone, who fell down on her knees crying amidst the broken pieces of glass and ceramic. 

**May 2nd, 2023**

"Sayuri?" Mai slowly approached her girlfriend, who was sitting on the couch. There was a cup of coffee and a plate with some sandwiches on it before her, but they were still untouched. Sayuri didn't respond.

"Sayuri? Listen." Mai sat down next to her. "We haven't been talking for a week now. I don't know if you are still mad... but we can't go on ignoring each other. I love you. And I apologize for not being a good girlfriend these last weeks. But it's going to be different from now on. I handed in my resignation yesterday. And I am going to find another job. One that gives me time and space to give you the love you deserve."

"Die."

"W-what did you say?", Mai asked. Her hands started shaking.

"Why don't you just die?", Sayuri said while turning her head to Mai, making eye contact for the first time that day.

"Sayuri. Why don't we go to get some... help? I know you are mad, but you shouldn't say things like this. We need to..."

A burning pain prevented Mai to finish her sentence. She looked down, seeing Sayuri's hand wrapped around the handle of the sandwich knife, a stain of blood slowly expanding from the blade penetrating her clothes and her belly. It took a few moments for Mai to realize what just happened.

"I asked you a question", Sayuri said. 

"Sayuri..." Mai looked in disbelief and horror to her girlfriend, who's voice and expression lacked every form of emotion. 

She felt the knife being thrust into her a second time, and a third time, after which Mai's survival instincts kicked in. She punched Sayuri in the face as hard as she could and stood up to get away. The pain made her dizzy, and every step felt like she was walking through ooze. It was like a bad dream in which you can't reach your destination, whatever you do. 

As she staggered through the living room, she heard footsteps approach her from behind with a rapid pace. Mai realized she wouldn't make it to the front door in time and turned around. Sayuri stood before her. Mai looked at her attacker and sobbed as she slowly backed away until she reached the wall. 

She was cornered.

She wanted to plead, but the fear when she saw Sayuri raising the knife again prevented her to say anything comprehensible. The blade plunge into her a few more times, and with every stab, she felt her life force leaving her body. When she collapsed, she had lost count and the pain started to numb. She prayed for death to come quickly and release her from the hell she was going through. Then everything went black. 

"Mai? Mai?! Please tell me I'm not too late..."

Mai heard the voice echo in her head, as if she was lost in a dark cave and someone was looking for her. But the one looking for her wasn't Sayuri.

"Mai. Please stay with me."

**~ To be continued ~**


	10. In a dark place

**October 24th, 2024**

Hina panted as she dashed to the alley, which seemed to be longer of a distance than she initially suspected. She hoped to find a spot where she could hide, but she only had a short window of time between the previous patrol and the next, and a mere second delay could very well mean the end of this mission, if not her life. 

The number of patrols have been tripled since the fatal attack on the Prime Minister five days ago, and a zero tolerance policy resulted in citizens being apprehended for even breaking the smallest of rules. Yet, Hina was about to break a bigger one.

Her heart was beating rapidly and she was sweating like it was a warm summer day, but the reality was that it was a cold and dark evening. Hina regretted that she neglected her stamina for quite a while when she felt the left side of her body sting with fatigue and she ran out of breath quickly. She could see the distance between her and the alley decrease, but the street she had to cross was wide and there were no possibilities to get cover, should she be detected. The sound of her boots touching the ground in quick succession echoed through the empty street. 

Arriving at the sidewalk, she jumped and rolled into the alley. She came to a halt lying on her back with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. 

"Fuck... this is... insane."

It took a few minutes before she regained the energy to get up, but as soon as she was able to breath normally, she saw the rapidly approaching headlights of a patrol car, and she realized she was still standing in the open. Her eyes skimmed the alley for a place to hide, after which she sprinted to the garbage container that was in the middle of the alley. 

"Did they see me?", Hina asked, inhaling and exhaling deeply. 

"I don't think so. But next time, try to move as little as possible when you are standing in their lights. When you move, the chance of them noticing you is considerably higher."

"Right, noted."

"The car will make a left turn in a couple of seconds. After that, you have another minute to move. You'll have to climb the ladder at the end of this alley to reach the roof."

Hina waited for the car to turn around the corner, ran to the ladder and started to climb. 

"It's quite high, isn't it?", she said, ascending slowly. With every step, her hands started to shake more. 

"It's a 25 meter climb", Kazumi informed her.

"And this is the only way to the roof, right?"

"Yes, it is. What's wrong Hina? You aren't afraid of heights are you? You jumped out of a building not too long ago. Third floor, was it?"

"Someone was emptying his gun at me, for heavens sake! I didn't really have the time to consider the consequences."

"All right, I apologize. Just breathe slowly, and don't look up or down. Just take one step at a time."

Hina did as Kazumi advised, and though it took five minutes, she reached the edge of the roof and rolled over it. There was hardly any light here, so she had to carefully look for the faint silhouettes of pipes and other hazards she could trip over. 

"Go to that bridge on your right and point your phone to the floor. I should be able to pick up the trail as I did earlier. No flashlight though, we don't want the light to give us away", Kazumi instructed. 

"But aren't we going the wrong way?", Hina asked while she carefully stepped to the bridge, making scanning movements with her phone. 

"No. We already followed the trail of Miss Shiraishi's escape, but I want to know what happened before. How she prepared her attack, how she fired the shot. Those kind of things. It is our only possibility at a lead at the moment. I have no idea where she could be right now. She must know every trick in the book if she's able to outsmart me."

"Do you think she has an A.I. for a bestie as well?", Hina said with a smirk.

"Did you just call me bestie? Wait, don't answer that."

"Maybe she uses a hacked version of you".

"Stop it. I didn't even consider that possibility, and now you're scaring me."

"I wasn't serious. If such a thing was possible, you would've thought of it, right?"

"Hina! I found one of her footprints! I can now analyze her trail. Continue to walk across the bridge, keep left after that."

Hina kept walking until she reached another wall. 

"There is no ladder here. The top is only reachable from the inside. Good thing we brought that grappling hook!", Kazumi enthusiastically exclaimed.

"It's not good at all", Hina replied with clear unease, as she took the grappling hook from her belt. She threw the hook as high as she could, and it landed perfectly just over the edge to which the hook took hold. Without thinking, she started her climb. She walked up the wall horizontally while her gloved hands prevented her from slipping the rope, which proved to be a slow but steady method. Shortly thereafter, she reached the highest part of the building. She walked to the other edge, from which she had a clear view of the large crossing and the square on the other side of it where the Prime Minister met his demise. 

"Walk two meters to your right. One meter. Yes, right here. The shot was taken from here. Scan the floor closely."

Hina walked around in small circles, staring at the screen of her phone that only showed darkness. She couldn't help but wonder if Kazumi could make anything of it. Besides the lack of illumination, the roof was still wet from the thunderstorm that hit Tokyo that afternoon, and she feared that most of the tracks would be washed away by now. 

"Wait, what's this?", Hina whispered and picked up a rather large piece of metal. 

"Nice find! That's the shell from the bullet. Let me..."

Hina turned her head quickly to the sudden sound of one of the rooftop hatches opening. Two men climbed onto the roof. Hina slipped her phone in her pocket and ducked. There was nothing to hide behind, so the darkness was her only friend. 

"Finally, a smoke", the left man said. He was a bald man, somewhere in his forties. The one next to him, who appeared much younger, nodded in agreement and lit his cigarette. 

"I'm glad the investigation on this roof is over. For three days I had to take the elevator to the street every time I wanted to have a cigarette", the bald man complained. "You know how long it takes for the elevator to reach ground level on an average work day? Far too long, I'll tell you that! I even got scolded by the manager for taking a break too long. Can you imagi... 

... wait a second. Someone's there."

Hina's heart skipped a beat. She saw the bald man cautiously approaching her, his colleague following behind him. 

"Hey! You! Who are you?"

Hina slowly rose from her sitting position, and carefully moved her left hand behind her back, having the knife in her belt within reach. 

"Would you look at that. What is a pretty lady like you doing on this godforsaken rooftop this late?", the man asked while he touched Hina by the chin and carefully inspected her. 

"Don't mind me, all right? I'm just... stargazing."

"You must be bored. Let's have some fun, shall we? Make this boring night a little more exciting."

Hina felt the nerves throughout her whole body, but tried to keep a poker face as much as possible. "Get your filthy hands of me, or suffer the consequences", she threatened. The man laughed.

"The consequences? Ha! There is no one to help you here. And we are going to have our way with you."

Hina grabbed her knife, and swung it at her assailant but to her surprise, he grabbed her arm and twisted it. Hina yelled and dropped to her knees. The knife fell on the ground and rolled away, out of her reach. She felt two strong hands push her down until she lay on her back. The fists of the man met her face a few times while she tried to get away from his firm grip.

"Oh, I just love a girl with vigor", she heard him say. Her mouth tasted bloody and a pounding headache rose quickly. She felt powerless and although her vision was blurry, she saw the man untying his belt. 

"Please, don't...", Hina whimpered.

Suddenly, the man's eyes grew large and his hand reached to his chest. He moaned as his face expressed pain, and few seconds later, he rolled over and fell to the ground. His lifeless eyes stared to the sky. The younger man felt backwards at the sight of it all, got up and ran. 

Hina crept up to a sitting position. Still overwhelmed, she just sat and stared for a couple of minutes before she started crying. 

**~~~**

The mirror explicitly showed the bruise on her right cheek and her swollen upper lip, but even if she didn't see it, the throbbing would remind her of what happened about an hour ago. She cupped her hand to catch some of the water coming from the faucet and washed her face with it to remove the dried blood. 

She stepped outside the bathroom, walked to the bed and let herself fall face down on the soft mattress. 

"I don't want to this anymore", she whispered, feeling exhausted, drained, as if everything she did turned things to worse. She couldn't protect Minami, who was still in a coma, and today she couldn't protect herself.

"I understand", the voice from her phone that lay on the other side of the bed said. 

"You do? I actually expected your usual pep talk."

"Hina... don't think I do not understand what you're going through. The pep talk can wait. There will be a moment when you realize you have no other choice than to continue this madness, but let's forget about that for now. If you want to talk, I'll listen to you. If you don't want to talk, I'll stay silent with you. Whatever you need. Just know that I am right at your side."

Hina picked up her phone and looked at the screen, directly into Kazumi's eyes. Eyes full of life, emotion and expression. Even if Hina knew better, those eyes comforted her.

"Thank you. That's just what I need. You know, one day, this is going to end badly for me. I escaped death so many times already. That luck is going to run out soon."

"No, it won't. I will always protect you, remember. You know what I am capable of."

"You couldn't protect me from almost being raped today. That motherfucker got a heart attack just in time. That alone must have used up the little luck I had left."

"That was my doing. The guy had a pacemaker. These things are connected nowadays. I only had to adjust its rhythm a bit."

Hina was silent for a few seconds. "Thanks so much. But honestly, if he didn't have that pacemaker. Did you have a backup plan?"

"No. Up there, there was almost nothing I could do."

Hina looked at Kazumi on her screen, and gave her a little smile to show she appreciated her honesty. "Kazumi... this thing inside of me. You can switch it off, can't you? Will that... hurt?"

"I can. And no, it won't hurt. It will be like falling into an eternal sleep. But your question worries me."

"If something like today should happen again and there is no way for me to escape, I want you to shut it down. Please Kazumi, if that happens, promise me you will kill me."

**~ To be continued ~**


End file.
